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2018-11-15T16:17:49.297Z

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<p>Since 2011, local authorities have been under a duty to provide a range of short
breaks services. This requires them to consult upon and publish a short breaks duty
statement. This should set out what is available locally, how to access these services,
and any eligibility criteria.</p><p> </p><p>To support this, the department made £800
million available in grants between April 2011 and March 2015, plus £80 million of
capital funding to support new projects. The department offers support and challenge
to help ensure local authorities meet their statutory requirements on special educational
needs and disabilities (SEND). The department has funded innovative grants that promote
best practice for delivering services; and continues to consider how we can best support
local authorities who are working to deliver sustainable short breaks provision.</p><p>
</p><p>The government is able to oversee how much local authorities have planned to
spend on short breaks provision through authorities’ annual section 251 returns. This
information can be found at <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/section-251-2016-to-2017</a> (see attached).</p><p>
</p><p>Departmental surveys such as the Children’s Services Omnibus gather information
on SEND services provided by local authorities, including short breaks.</p><p> </p><p>There
are also opportunities through the new Ofsted and Care Quality Commission SEND inspection
frameworks for local areas to consider how well they are providing for the education,
health and care needs of those with SEND. This includes their need for short breaks
services. A thematic ‘one year on’ report published by the two inspectorates in October
2017 found that ‘children and young people who have SEND and their families typically
had good access to high-quality short breaks’ (attached).</p>

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the attempt by protesters to disrupt
a talk by an Israeli speaker at University College London on 27 October, what steps
they are taking to ensure freedom of speech.

<p>Open and robust debate is how students should challenge those they disagree with.
There is no place for students that use intimidation or violence to attempt to shut
down the free and open exchange of ideas.</p><p>Universities have a legal duty to
secure freedom of speech for their members, students, employees and visiting speakers,
and must have clearly set out policies for how they will ensure that this can happen.
Universities also have a clear responsibility to provide a safe and inclusive environment
and no staff or student should ever feel threatened or intimidated. It is also essential
that they have clear policies and procedures to ensure that all students and staff
can live and work without discrimination, intimidation or harassment. We expect universities
to demonstrate how they will act swiftly to investigate and address hate crime, including
anti-Semitic related incidents, reported to them.</p><p>We have asked the Higher Education
Funding Council for England (HEFCE), in their role as regulator, to engage with University
College London (UCL) to ensure that their policies and procedures for events with
external speakers are fit for purpose and were implemented appropriately in this instance.
UCL have issued a statement on 11 November 2016 regarding the incident, which sets
out that they have launched an immediate investigation.</p><p>In September 2015 we
asked Universities UK (UUK) to set up a Harassment Taskforce. The Taskforce has recently
published a report which sets out that universities should adopt a zero-tolerance
approach to harassment and hate crime. The report has been attached to this answer.
We must now ensure that the work of the Taskforce goes on to make a real difference
to students across the country. The Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research
and Innovation has asked UUK to survey progress in six months and make sure universities
are doing all they can to protect the safety and security of their students. We hope
that the new guidelines for universities issued alongside the UUK Taskforce report
will help universities in effectively tackling incidents such as these.</p>

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger
of Leckie on 17 November (HL2972), whether they will ask the Higher Education Funding
Council for England, in its role as regulator, to engage with the University of Oxford
to ensure that their policies and procedures were implemented appropriately following
reports of anti-Semitic incidents involving students which led to the resignation
of a student club chairman in February.

<p>The Government condemns antisemitism wherever it occurs, including on university
campuses. Universities and student societies need to be robust in tackling these kinds
of issues. Universities are autonomous and have processes for dealing with concerns
and complaints where they are raised, unless there are regulatory issues to be addressed.</p><p>The
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) holds ongoing discussions (both
formal and informal) with institutions, including the University of Oxford, on a regular
basis. As the regulator, HEFCE has established procedures for following on up concerns
raised about universities. No concerns have been raised with HEFCE about the implementation
by the University of Oxford of its policies and procedures on this issue.</p>

<p>The Student Loans Company publishes an annual statistical first release on student
loans in England that provides statistics on loan outlays, repayment of loans and
borrower activity. The latest release is attached.</p><p>In addition to this, in February
2016 the Department published a Joint Repayment Strategy which includes an assessment
of actions to trace borrowers and to recover loans where avoidance or evasion is identified.
This publication isalso attached.</p>

<p>The Fulbright programme provides important opportunities for education exchanges
between the UK and the US. We have received no communication from the US government
to inform us of any proposal to cut funding of the Fulbright Programme.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the impact of
the abolition of maintenance grants on university students from disadvantaged backgrounds,
and (2) the report from the Sutton Trust, Home and Away, which found that students
who cannot afford to live away from home while at university are disadvantaged in
terms of social mobility.

<p>The government published the attached equality analysis, in November 2015, which
sets out the impact of the abolition of maintenance grants on protected and disadvantaged
groups of students.</p><p> </p><p>We are seeing record rates of 18 year olds, including
those from disadvantaged backgrounds, entering full-time higher education. Our new
reforms to higher education will go further to ensure the system is offering more
choice and value for money for all students.</p><p> </p><p>We have increased support
for full-time students’ living costs by 2.8% in 2017/18 to £8,430 a year for eligible
full-time students from households with low incomes who live away from home and study
outside London – the highest ever amount.</p><p> </p><p>The Sutton Trust’s report
provides helpful insight into the experience of students who choose not to relocate
for study. This is why government’s review of post-18 education and funding will consider
how we can encourage and support learning that is more flexible for students, including
commuter study options.</p><p> </p><p>The review will also consider what more can
be done through the financial support available to widen access to university for
disadvantaged students, including making sure that the right maintenance support is
available</p><p> </p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of protection of freedom
of speech at universities, following the violent disruption at the King's College
London Libertarian Society meeting on 5 March.

<p>Hatred, discrimination and violence have no place on our campuses. Universities
have a clear responsibility under the Equality Act 2010 to have due regard to the
need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, and to foster good
relations between those who share protected characteristics, such as race or religion,
and those who do not.</p><p> </p><p>Free speech is protected in universities by law
and plays a crucial role in generating rigorous debate, advancing understanding and
allowing students to challenge conventional wisdom and discuss controversial subjects.
Under the Education (No 2) Act 1986, universities have a duty to ‘take reasonably
practicable steps to ensure freedom of speech for staff, students and visiting speakers,’
and this includes having a free speech code of practice. The Higher Education and
Research Act 2017 extends this duty to all providers registered with the Office for
Students (OfS).</p><p> </p><p>The OfS will have an important role to play in championing
free speech. Under our proposals they would also have a range of levers to intervene
where issues arise. A principle relating to freedom of speech is also included in
the recently published regulatory framework for OfS, see attached.</p><p> </p><p>This
government remains committed to freedom of speech within the law – this does not include
hate speech, incitement to violence or terrorism. We expect universities to take appropriate
action, including involving law enforcement if necessary, in response to incidents
such as those at Kings College on 5 March 2018.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Office for
Students concerning the upholding of laws on freedom of speech following the postponement
by King's College London (KCL) of a planned lecture on 16 March on freedom of speech
by Dr Adam Perkins to the KCL Libertarian Society.

<p>My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State issued guidance to the Office for
Students (OfS) on 20 February 2018, which sets out the expectation that the OfS will
champion and promote freedom of speech, as well as working with providers to challenge
and call out attempts to shut down or ‘no platform’ speakers.</p><p>My hon. Friend,
the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation has also announced
that he will be holding a free speech summit to discuss issues around free speech
on campuses and is working with the OfS on this.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government how they propose to include representatives of student
victims of (1) inhibition of freedom of speech, and (2) disruption of meetings, in
the preparation of new guidance to promote freedom of speech at universities.

<p>At the free speech summit on 3 May 2018 held by my hon. Friend, the Minister for
Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, it was agreed that the report from
the Freedom of Speech in Universities inquiry by the Joint Committee on Human Rights
(JCHR) would be used as the foundation for a shared approach to free speech.</p><p>
</p><p>The JCHR inquiry included evidence from a number of groups including those
who had experienced disruption of events and student representatives with a range
of experiences related to free speech.</p><p> </p><p>The new guidance will be drafted
by the Equality and Human Rights Commission, who will work with a number of groups
including the National Union of Students.</p>

To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) direction, and (2) guidance, they have given
to the Office for Students on improving gender and ethnic diversity in the leadership
of Russell Group higher education institutions.

<p>Autonomous higher education providers, including Russell Group members, are responsible
for their own decisions about leadership appointments. Institutional autonomy is explicitly
recognised in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 and is specifically defined
to include the freedom of providers to determine the criteria for selecting, appointing
or dismissing academic staff. The Act is clear that both the Office for Students (OfS)
(when carrying out its functions) and the Secretary of State (when issuing statutory
guidance to the OfS) must have regard to the need to protect this institutional autonomy.</p><p>
</p><p>The government and the OfS both remain interested in areas related to equality
and diversity in higher education. We consulted on behalf of the OfS on making arrangements
for the publication of data on senior staff remuneration, including in relation to
gender and ethnicity. The OfS retains the power to require the disclosure of such
information through its accounts direction.</p><p> </p><p>The government asked the
Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), the predecessor of OfS, to remind
HEFCE-funded providers of their obligations under the gender pay gap reporting requirements.
HEFCE wrote to these providers on 10 January 2018. HEFCE have also jointly commissioned
a project that aims to equalise the gender balance and ethnic diversity of higher
education governing bodies. This work will include establishing an online exchange
to recruit board members.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, we note initiatives across the
sector, including at Russell Group institutions, to support women and those from black
and minority ethnic groups who aspire to leadership positions in higher education.</p>